


The Great American Workplace

by ChampionFlyer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coughing, Fever, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Dork, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Keith (Voltron) is a Sap, Lance (Voltron) has the Flu, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Sick Lance (Voltron), Sickfic, Vomit, Workplace Illnesses, keith is trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-20 02:04:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22074553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampionFlyer/pseuds/ChampionFlyer
Summary: Lance contracts the flu virus from work and Keith is really trying to keep it all together.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 185





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuses. 
> 
> But I'm back so why not torture the boy some more. 
> 
> READ ENDING NOTES!

For the first time in a while, everything seemed to be going according to plan. 

The dinner reservations Keith had made where still set in place, and the trunk of his car was filled with blankets and bottles of Lance’s favorite wine. It’s not that Keith was looking to get hammered while out on a romantic evening picnic, but he thought the alcohol would aid the relaxation factor. 

The thing is, Lance had been so stressed lately, coming home every night exhausted and frustrated by the rush of excess work. Half the staff in his office were out with the flu and the other half were just as exhilarated as Lance. 

But tonight, however, Keith is going to give Lance the most relaxing evening he’s ever had. 

People always expect Lance to be the sappy one in the relationship, with his creative spirit and intelligent devising algorithms and whatnot. What people don’t know is  _ Keith  _ is the actual sap. He takes an inside joke or a personal moment and turns it into an incredible experience for his fiance. Sometimes it’s cheesy as hell, other times there are rose petals on the bedroom floor and candlelit dinners. Sometimes it’s small and simple like a single flower on a Friday night. Other times it’s an evening at a fancy restaurant. 

More often than not, Lance is flustered beyond repair and it takes a few drinks to get him working properly again. 

Keith was just finishing up the final touches on his romantic playlist when he heard his fiance’s car pull into the driveway. He hopped to his feet, nearly dropping his phone on the floor, and hurried over to the counter, gingerly holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. He stood as formally as he could while the shuffling footsteps grew closer to the door. 

He tugged at the rim of his blazer, an awkward habit he’d picked up from Shiro. He took one more look at himself in the reflection of the microwave before turning back towards the door. Keys jingled in the lock, and Keith wondered briefly if Lance knew the door was unlocked. After a few seconds of fruitless attempts to get the knob turned, there was a familiar sound of the lock clicking and there was a push on the solid wooden door. 

The door opened slowly, and Keith could feel a frown tug at his lips. 

Lance never came in quietly. He more often than not swung the door wide open and exclaim anything that came to mind. Keith remembers when Lance swung the door open so fast it put a dent in the wall. It wasn’t funny at the time, but looking back on it now makes Keith giggle. Lance’s entrances lately have been more half-hearted than normal, almost calm despite the whirlwind of emotions that where swirling around in his head. He would shuffle inside almost silently and plop down right in Keith’s arms, a long day worth of commotion melting away in nearly an instant. 

Lance came stumbling into the flat, seemingly in a drunken state. Keith knows Lance would  _ never  _ drive drunk, let alone get drunk on his lonesome. The only time he’d seen Lance stumble like  _ that  _ was after his twenty-first birthday (Pidge had insisted on getting him plastered). 

Therefore Lance being drunk was out of the question. 

It wasn’t until he turned to face him did Keith feel his heart stop beating. 

Tears were threatening to fall from his fiance’s glassy eyes when Lance looked up at him. His cheeks were rosy red while the rest of him was pale and sweaty. Keith could see him shaking even from where he was standing. He looked pitiful. 

Something was wrong. 

In a matter of seconds, Keith had crossed the kitchen and enveloped his disheveled fiance in a comforting hug. Lance buried himself deeper into Keith’s chest, sniffling and hiccuping as gentle hands rubbed circles on his back. His ears were ringing and his mind was foggy, but he could still make out Keith’s reassuring voice above all. 

Keith pulled away from the embrace, earning a subdue groan from Lance. He was quick to feel his beloved’s forehead, wincing at the damp heat the relayed there. 

“You’re burning up, Lance,” Keith muttered, feeling his heart melt when his delirious fiance looked down at his feet. Tears slipped out of his eyelids and he sniffled once more. Keith’s eyes softened. He guided Lance over to the couch, steadily to ensure Lance wouldn’t fall flat on the floor. All the while he was talking, Keith wasn’t so sure Lance was listening. 

Lance collapsed upright onto the sofa, head buried in his hands while Keith knelt in front of him. “Lance, look up at me for a second,” Keith whispered as calmly as possible. The brunette’s head slowly rose and Keith’s heart broke even more. He was miserable. 

Keith smiled gently, caressing Lance’s burning cheek with his thumb. “There you are, baby. Can you talk to me for a minute?”

Lance nodded. “Okay, it won’t take too long, I promise. How did you get home?”

Keith almost felt stupid asking. Obviously, Lance drove home, but he still wanted to know if there was more to the story. Driving with a fever may have warranted some unknown issues. 

Keith watched as Lance massaged his temple, allowing his fiance to take his time. 

“I… uh, I drove?” Lance said, although his response was more of a question than an answer. 

“Yeah, I know you drove home, love. You got home a little later than normal though. Did you have trouble driving?”

Lance thought for a moment, then paled slightly. “I pulled over a few times,” he said. “I puked in the grass… more than once. I got some extra bags at a gas station just in case I felt sick again. I.. think I left em’ in the car.”

Keith was about to ask another question when Lance doubled over in a harsh coughing fit, nearly falling off the couch. Worry nearly consumed him as Keith leveled himself beside his fiance, rubbing soothing circles on his back as the coughing continued. 

He winced in sympathy as tears rolled down Lance’s fever flushed cheeks. 

“Lance, babe, you need to take a deep breath,” Keith advised, pulling Lance upright once again. “Breathe with me, okay. It’ll be alright.”

From experience, Keith knew Lance  _ dispised  _ being sick. He never handled it well. Lance kept his symptoms hidden and only asked for help when it got bad. He once had a fever for three days before Shiro found him passed out at his previous apartment. Keith had been in Korea visiting family when Shiro called him. Keith was quick to book a flight back home, and when he arrived back in Texas, Lance was still delirous. The fever was hospital level, and Shiro had thought quickly to take him into the emergency room. Lance was released almost three days later when his fever finally broke. 

After that, Keith kept a closer eye on Lance as the oncoming flu seasons came around. 

Slowly, Lance began to breathe through the coughing, leaving him exhausted and even shakier than before. Keith looped his arm around Lance’s shoulders, cringing at the tremors that wracked them, and pulled him closer into his side. Lance settled his head on his shoulder, conveniently resting his eyes until he was abruptly awoken again. 

“Don’t you want to fall asleep in a nice warm bed, sharpshooter?”

Lance smiled weakly. 

Keith heaved his fiance’s aching body up into a bridal style hold, making Lance smirk. He would have commented if his mouth didn’t feel like cotton. Instead, he curled further into Keith’s grip, sighing out of relief when a pair of lips were pressed to the top of his head. He felt Keith make common twists and turns around the house, carefully passing through doorways until he felt his body being lowered into fresh, crisp sheets. His back melted into the mattress, almost immediately feeling a sense of relief before he was overcome with fever-induced chills. 

Lance listened to the shuffling of feet around the room whilst trying to find the comforter located somewhere on the bed. Lance let out a frustrated  _ huff,  _ digging his face into the cool pillow. 

“Keith,” Lance moaned. “I’m cold…”

At first, there was no response, confusing himself further. 

Keith was just in the room.  _ Where the hell did he go? _

Lance promptly sat up, immediately regretting the action as his head spun and the hallway light swirled with the darkness of the bedroom.  _ When did the lights turn off?  _ Dizzy and disoriented, Lance called out for Keith again, only to stop mid-sentence by a nasty strain of coughs. However, they were short-lived and Lance heard footsteps in the coming down the hall. 

Keith, in all his dysfunctional glory, came toppling into the room with copious amounts of blankets, water bottles, and cold compresses collected in his arms. He smiled over the heaping load of items in his arms, bringing his fiance a small bit of joy, before quickly placing everything on the foot of the bed. 

“Sorry I left but I just wanted to get somethings to make you more comfortable,” Keith said, sitting on the edge of the bed with a cold washcloth in hand. He placed pillows behind his fiance’s back until he was sitting half-up, making it easier on both of them to feel more comfortable. Lance  _ hummed  _ when Keith placed the washcloth against his fiery forehead, his eyes never so much as peeping open before Keith urged him to take a sip of water. 

Lance groaned. “Dun’ make me drink… or eat anything,” the brunette moaned, curling in around his stomach. 

“You need to stay hydrated, hun.”

Lance shook his head, his hand finding their way up to massage his head. Keith sighed, running his hands through his fiance’s hair. The crease in Lance’s forehead seemed to ease and he breathed a long, tired sigh. He knew Lance wouldn’t likely cooperate unless there was some sort of agreement made. Like a win-win compromise. 

“Lance, sweetheart,” Keith murmured. “Let’s make a deal. How about you drink half a glass of water and take some medicine? Then we can cuddle for as long as you’d like. I’ll call you in sick for the next few days.”

Keith thought Lance would agree but his beloved only argued back. 

“I feel nauseous, Keith. I don’t feel like drinking anything.”

“I know, but you’ll feel better if you take some medicine.”

“I’ll gag and throw up on the carpet,” Lance said, making a pouty face. 

Keith sighed. “Fine… why don’t you try some ginger ale? It’s light on your stomach and all our soda is flat so the carbonation won’t sting your tongue.”

Lance has a thing about carbonated drinks. It’s almost like a repellant the way Lance avoids any and all soda and seltzer. He buys drinks, then waits weeks for them to go flat. He says the carbonation burns his mouth and the bubbles make his nose feel weird. Keith thinks it’s adorable. 

Lance seemed to think about this for a minute. “Do I have to take the medicine right now?” 

Keith shook his head. “Let’s just keep the washcloth on your head for a few hours and see if your fever goes down. If you’re feeling less nauseous later, I’ll have you take some fever reducers.” 

When Lance finally agreed to Keith’s terms and was settled fully into the bed, Keith left to grab a trashcan from the bathroom. He returned to find Lance huddled under a blanket, fast asleep. 

Keith relaxed and set the trashcan within reach before climbing into bed beside his sick lover, wrapping his arms around Lance’s midsection and massaged circles on his irritated stomach. He pressed kisses to Lance’s sweat-soaked neck, displaced by the drenched shirt Lance was wearing and thought it better for him to change when he wakes up. 

But for now, he just let his fiance rest and only hoped things would look up when he awakes. 

Keith felt himself drift off to sleep, while little did he know Lance’s condition would soon become a little more than troubling. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's fever rises and Keith feels some deeply hidden insecurities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this was...
> 
> *checks watch*
> 
> twenty-six days late....

Keith didn’t consider himself a light sleeper. Not by a long shot. 

There was always something about being in a state of tranquil unconsciousness that put him at ease. The gentle breeze of the suburban desert outside his childhood home always comforted him, as well as the person he was sleeping beside. 

When he was asleep, Keith couldn’t give a damn if the world was crumbling as long as Lance and the good grace of rest was on his side. 

The only issue was Keith could  _ only _ sleep through certain sounds. The early neighborhood garbage truck was like white noise to his ears. He just couldn’t be bothered. The birds, on the other hand, keep him awake from AM to PM. There was no getting rid of them. They just sit outside the bedroom window and seemingly peer through the window at him and Lance. But it wasn’t until Lance gave them all names that Keith decided they could stay. 

Keith could sleep through morning garbage trucks, lawnmowers, and Fourth of July fireworks. 

However, Keith could  _ never  _ sleep through the awakening of his fiance. Whether it was late at night or early in the morning, Keith wouldn’t be able to fall back into a slumber until his beloved’s warm presence was back in his arms. Lance wasn’t even loud about it either. Keith just couldn’t sleep without him.

So when the restless shifting began, Keith paid little mind to it, thinking it was just the fever acting up or a dream was dawning in his fiancé’s clouded mind. He wondered should check on it again before his mind was pulled back into a sleepy trance. 

Keith was sure he was nearly asleep when Lance bolted up, scrambling to kick the bedsheets of his body. 

Keith was up in an instant, all remains of tiredness draining from his eyes. “Lance? Wha-”

The sick brunette practically rolled off the bed before regaining his balance, hastening towards the hallway bathroom. The palm of his hand covered his mouth as he rushed down the hall, his gut twisting and his mouth filling with coppery saliva. Lance nearly burst through the wooden door of the bathroom, flinging his body at the sink. 

Everything happened so fast. Lance wasn’t even entirely sure how he’d gotten to the bathroom in time. 

But one thing’s for sure and it’s that his soon to be husband wasn’t far behind him. 

Keith stood there in the doorway, hallway lights dimming behind him. His face was contorted in concern and worry as he took a few strides towards him. Lance winced as his stomach contracted, nearly keeling over to vomit before he realized nothing was coming up. Still, he dry heaved into the sink until the unsettling feeling in his gut was faded. Not gone, but not entirely dissolved either. 

He didn’t even notice Keith’s hand rubbing soothing circles on his back until he felt his fiance pull him back into his chest. Lance buried his burning forehead in the crook of Keith’s neck, his fiance tugging him away suddenly. 

Keith instantly saw the confusion and hurt the bloomed on his fiance’s face, regretting the notion immediately. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I have to check that fever. It’s gotten worse…”

Lance whimpered, tears bubbling up in his eyes. “My stomach h-hurts,” He said, clutching his midsection. He eyed the toilet nervously, his dazed blue eyes fidgeting between the floor and the rest of the room. Keith watched as he swung dangerously side to side until he finally managed to pull his sick partner down to sit in front of the porcelain bowl. 

“I know, it’s okay. You’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

Lance shuddered, feeling feverish chills take hold of his frame. His stomach suddenly twisted and his face turned an unnatural shade of green. He felt like a child again. His mama always knew what to do when he was sick. Keith seemingly knew as well. 

His stomach contracted and Lance hastily had his face hovering above the toilet. He barely had time to register anything before a small bout of vomit dribbled out of his mouth, stinging the back of his throat and nose. 

He coughed and sputtered as more bile rose up his throat, soon reappearing in its rightful place. It was horrible. The way his stomach pulled and twisted every second exhausted him far beyond how he felt earlier. His skin was beaded with sweat and his clothing clung to his shaky frame. He was hot, then cold, and then hot again. His throat was dry and itchy from the persistent stomach acid rising up into his mouth. 

Lance shivered and spit into the toilet one last time before pulling on the lever, listening as his meager meals were washed clean out of sight. 

Keith shifted beside him, pulling Lance back to reality, as two pale hands helping lean against the bathtub. Keith smiled gently, though worry seeped through his expression. Lance didn’t want Keith to worry. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, okay? Then medicine, then rest.” 

Lance glanced up, his dazed ocean blue eyes connecting with Keith’s instantly. “Cuddles too?” 

Keith melted, chuckling at his fiance’s adorable nature. He cupped Lance’s burning cheek, caressing it in soothing circles. “Yeah, cuddles too. But you have to take some medicine. Your fever is getting worse and you need to drink water. I think you’re getting dehydrated.”

Lance grimaced at the thought of having to drink, watching Keith as he stood up reluctantly. He made his way over to the sink, pulling on the medicine cabinet doors. Lance could see his partner’s mullet perfectly from where he sat on the cold tile floor as he grabbed a cup from the medicine cabinet. He pulled a few name-brand bottles out of the mirrored cupboard, reading the back of each one carefully. 

Every single  _ damn  _ bottle was expired. 

Keith turned back to his fiance just in time for him to catch Lance in the middle of a brain-rattling sneeze. 

The brunette frowned, peering up at Keith through half-lidded eyes. “I dun’ feel good, Keith.”

“I know, I’m working on getting some medicine but everything we have is expired by a solid four years. I think I’ll call Shiro to come and drop some off,” Keith explained, pacing back and dropping down in front of his fatigued lover. Lance crawled his aching bones into Keith’s arms and rested his head against his chest. 

“Is there anything that would make you feel better?”

“Cuddles…”

“Anything  _ other  _ than cuddles?” Keith asked. “Do you want a change of clothes? This is your chance to change out of that gross, soaking t-shirt, Mr.” Keith continued listing off things that may interest, and assist, his sick lover while he carded his hands through his hair. Lance was in heaven despite his body being literal hellfire. Keith’s hands felt kind and gentle in his grease coated hair and his chest brought a sense of relief to the situation. He tried to listen, nodding to the things that sounded somewhat bearable, like a change of clothes, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from fluttering shut. 

“I could make you some soup. I have some leftover from Hunk’s restaurant.”

Lance groaned. “N-no food, p-please.”

_ His stomach is still bothering him? How the hell is he supposed to take medicine on an empty stomach? _

Keith let the thought simmer before suggesting a more promising word. “Sleep? Do you want to go back to bed and rest?”

Lance immediately nodded. 

“Okay, alright,” Keith huffed as he attempted to pick up his koala of a boyfriend. Lance’s body didn’t seem to want to function. His bones were lead and his skin felt as if it was crawling with bugs. He groaned into Keith’s chest, barely standing up when his knees buckled once again. 

“ _ Woooah _ ,” Keith gasped out, barely catching his fiance in his arms before lowering him back into his arms. “Can’t have you passing out on me, Sharpshooter. Let’s just get you back to bed so you can take your medicine and sleep off this fever. How does that sound?” 

There was a muffled response, which Keith took as a go-ahead. 

Keith had Lance settled into bed in a matter of minutes, of course after he got the brunette a change of clothes. He remembers how violently Lance had been shivering after he’d peeled off the foul, sweaty t-shirt from Lance’s skin. Keith found one of his old college sweatshirts, specifically the one Lance liked the most and pushed it over Lance’s head. Keith helped him lay down, half rested up against a pillow until he’d had become more comfortable. 

The sick brunette made a noise when Keith moved from his bedside. It sounded like a whimper mixed with a possibly weakened sigh. “I hate to see you go, but I love watching you leave,” Lance muttered weakly. 

_ “He’s exhausted,”  _ Keith thought to himself.  _ “His fever’s way too high and all I have is a bottle of expired Advil.” _

Keith took a deep breath, deep enough for Lance to see an undetermined emotion on his face. It wasn’t good. Amethyst eyes looked up to find a pair of aching, blue ones trained on his own. Not just aching with physical discomfort, but with sadness as well. 

“Keith, I know I’m not easy to handle when I’m sick-”

Keith’s eyes went wide. “No, no, Lance that’s not what I meant,”  _ What had he meant?  _ Of course, Lance was going to think Keith was annoyed or angry with him. Keith bent over the bed to cup his fiance’s burning cheek as he’d done not long ago. “I’m not upset with you at all.”  _ Relief _ . Relief was the only emotion that Keith could match to Lance’s fever-flushed face. 

“I’m… I’m just worried about you,” Keith continued. “I  _ always  _ worry about you.  _ Especially  _ when you’re down like this. I want to be able to take care of you and make you feel better, but right now I  _ just  _ feel like a failure of a husband.  _ How the fuck am I supposed to take care of a sick human being if I don’t even have over the counter cold medicine readily at hand?!” _

It was Keith’s turn to feel a rush of emotion, however this time it was a good emotion. 

Lance’s glazed blue eyes filled with passionate tears as his smile stretched across his whole face. “Did you say just say, husband?” Lance asked, his ill, rugged voice cracking as his smile miraculously widened. 

Keith chuckled. “Yes, baby, I said _husband_. I’m going to be your husband.”

“Nooo… I’m going to be  _ your _ husband.”

“We can both be each other’s husbands.”

Lance sniffled, his smile fading slightly. “Keith, you  _ do  _ take care of me. And you are  _ not  _ a failure of a husband. Do you know how much time I spent suffering alone because of my weak ass immune system before I met you? You make me feel one thousand times better just by being here with me.”

Keith could feel the toothy grin illuminating off his face. He couldn’t stop it, nor did he try to. 

“And you always listen to me and consider my feelings and… and you…” Lance trailed off, face screwing up in discomfort as he spiraled into a sneezing fit. 

Keith almost forgot Lance was ill. He got so wrapped up in confessing his insecurities to his barely coherent fiance that he forgot that he had to get him medicine. He waited out Lance’s sneezing fit before the brunette finally admitted to his own exhaustion. He curled up on his side under the thick comforter, trying to embrace any bit of warmth into his bones. 

Keith brushed the brunettes bangs out of his eyes and kissed his burning forehead just as Lance slipped into a sickly slumber. 

“Sleep well, Sharpshooter. I’m not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave Kudos and Comments! They do not go unnoticed! 
> 
> Also, rest in peace Kobe and Gianna Bryant. This is a sad day in NBA history :(

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Please leave comments/kudos! They are much appreciated!
> 
> Also, I'm looking for more fandoms to write for so if you guys just want to FUCKING GO WILD IN THE COMMENTS, please do :)
> 
> -CHAMP


End file.
